Mairead Ni.bhriain | Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick (original) (raw)
Papers by Mairead Ni.bhriain
Irish Journal of French Studies, 2010
The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of invest... more The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of investigation for the study of intellectual activity within the French public sphere. 1 Often linked to judicial proceedings, this type of public campaign is frequently symptomatic of a broader political crisis and became particularly prevalent during the French Algerian war. Unlike previous colonial conflicts in Madagascar and Indo-China, where the distance from metropolitan France and general apathy among the French public had enabled governments to ride out the storms of opposition to colonial policy, the Algerian war provoked much debate and proved to be a terminal crisis for the Fourth Republic. Three key factors can be identified as contributing to the unique character and long-term consequences of the Algerian conflict. The first of these was Algeria's official status as an integral part of the Republic, while the second concerned the one-million strong European settler community living in Algeria. However, it was undoubtedly the third factor, the government decision to send conscripts to fight in Algeria, which resulted in a keener awareness of the colonial question in metropolitan France and ultimately transformed a passive public into an active and highly influential political actor within the process of decolonization. Testimonies given by traumatized conscripts returning from Algeria who, unlike the professional soldiers who had served in Indo-China, had little or no experience of revolutionary warfare, exposed the true extent of colonial oppression and specifically the
The Irish journal of French studies, Nov 1, 2010
The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of invest... more The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of investigation for the study of intellectual activity within the French public sphere. 1 Often linked to judicial proceedings, this type of public campaign is frequently symptomatic of a broader political crisis and became particularly prevalent during the French Algerian war. Unlike previous colonial conflicts in Madagascar and Indo-China, where the distance from metropolitan France and general apathy among the French public had enabled governments to ride out the storms of opposition to colonial policy, the Algerian war provoked much debate and proved to be a terminal crisis for the Fourth Republic. Three key factors can be identified as contributing to the unique character and long-term consequences of the Algerian conflict. The first of these was Algeria's official status as an integral part of the Republic, while the second concerned the one-million strong European settler community living in Algeria. However, it was undoubtedly the third factor, the government decision to send conscripts to fight in Algeria, which resulted in a keener awareness of the colonial question in metropolitan France and ultimately transformed a passive public into an active and highly influential political actor within the process of decolonization. Testimonies given by traumatized conscripts returning from Algeria who, unlike the professional soldiers who had served in Indo-China, had little or no experience of revolutionary warfare, exposed the true extent of colonial oppression and specifically the
Irish Journal of French Studies, 2010
Irish Journal of French Studies, 2010
The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of invest... more The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of investigation for the study of intellectual activity within the French public sphere. 1 Often linked to judicial proceedings, this type of public campaign is frequently symptomatic of a broader political crisis and became particularly prevalent during the French Algerian war. Unlike previous colonial conflicts in Madagascar and Indo-China, where the distance from metropolitan France and general apathy among the French public had enabled governments to ride out the storms of opposition to colonial policy, the Algerian war provoked much debate and proved to be a terminal crisis for the Fourth Republic. Three key factors can be identified as contributing to the unique character and long-term consequences of the Algerian conflict. The first of these was Algeria's official status as an integral part of the Republic, while the second concerned the one-million strong European settler community living in Algeria. However, it was undoubtedly the third factor, the government decision to send conscripts to fight in Algeria, which resulted in a keener awareness of the colonial question in metropolitan France and ultimately transformed a passive public into an active and highly influential political actor within the process of decolonization. Testimonies given by traumatized conscripts returning from Algeria who, unlike the professional soldiers who had served in Indo-China, had little or no experience of revolutionary warfare, exposed the true extent of colonial oppression and specifically the
The Irish journal of French studies, Nov 1, 2010
The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of invest... more The concept of the affaire as a socio-political phenomenon represents an important site of investigation for the study of intellectual activity within the French public sphere. 1 Often linked to judicial proceedings, this type of public campaign is frequently symptomatic of a broader political crisis and became particularly prevalent during the French Algerian war. Unlike previous colonial conflicts in Madagascar and Indo-China, where the distance from metropolitan France and general apathy among the French public had enabled governments to ride out the storms of opposition to colonial policy, the Algerian war provoked much debate and proved to be a terminal crisis for the Fourth Republic. Three key factors can be identified as contributing to the unique character and long-term consequences of the Algerian conflict. The first of these was Algeria's official status as an integral part of the Republic, while the second concerned the one-million strong European settler community living in Algeria. However, it was undoubtedly the third factor, the government decision to send conscripts to fight in Algeria, which resulted in a keener awareness of the colonial question in metropolitan France and ultimately transformed a passive public into an active and highly influential political actor within the process of decolonization. Testimonies given by traumatized conscripts returning from Algeria who, unlike the professional soldiers who had served in Indo-China, had little or no experience of revolutionary warfare, exposed the true extent of colonial oppression and specifically the
Irish Journal of French Studies, 2010